Secondary Waiting

The key to our passing court and having our adoption be official was receiving our MOWA letter. I am happy to report that we received this news yesterday! We have our letter and passed court on July 12!!!!

I was at work when I got the news. I was so excited I had to tell EVERYONE! Here is a replay of a conversation:

Me “We got our MOWA letter, we passed court, the boys are now officially ours!”

Coworker 1 “YAY! What’s next?”

Coworker 2 “Are you going to get the boys now?”

Me “ No not yet, we get to do more waiting!!!!”

Coworker 1 “Your good at that”

Through out this whole adoptwaiting process, as we would pass exciting milestones, I would share with people. Often we would have some version of the conversation above. People would be excited for us and would ask "What's next?" or "Can you go and get them now?" I would answer, by telling of our next steps. Steps which usually involved waiting. I could tell when I said too many steps at once when they would get a glazed look in their eyes. Not because they did not care, but because when you have not been involved in international adoption before the list of steps is long and can be confusing. I have to remind myself I am the one living, eating and breathing adoptwaiting so it makes sense to me. Sometimes.

Other times the answer to the question “What’s next?” is followed by wait some more. Thus, why I call it adoptwaiting. Complete steps 1 and 2 quickly. Wait. Complete step 3. Wait. Redo step 3. Wait, wait, move to step 4. But, wait for further instruction. The by-product of walking with others through their adoption process is that YOU wait too. You are waiting with your, friend, cousin, sister, neighbor, co-worker to move through the adoptwaiting process. Even though you are not adopting. You are adoptwaiting.

I don’t think I fully got that until I saw my coworker, who was totally excited because they thought we were done when we passed court, totally deflate when I said that we had to wait some more. I knew people were waiting with me, but  until that moment, I did not get it. I had not realized that it is just as hard to wait even when it is someone else’s wait. 

I am so incredibly thankful to every single person who is, has and will continue adoptwaiting with us. I am blessed beyond what words can express. Please know this if you are not adopting but you are adoptwaiting I am pretty sure this means you get your PhD in waiting too!!